


Nerds on a Plane

by Red Charade (traciller)



Series: Flash Tumblr Ficlets [30]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Flirty!Len, Hurt/Comfort, Len is a smooth operator, Len is kind of a morbid closet romantic, Len to the rescue, M/M, Panic Attack, hand-holding, meet cute, nerds!Coldflash, no powers au, sorta - Freeform, spoiler for the ending of Lost, turbulence on a plane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-05-29 21:43:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6394993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traciller/pseuds/Red%20Charade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the plane starts to experience some really bad turbulence Len tries to calm the passenger next to him, who happens to also be very cute if Len does say so himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nerds on a Plane

Barry and Len are strangers, passengers sitting next to each other on a plane, when the aircraft begins to experience some extreme turbulence. Len isn’t really the type of person to freak out. Over anything. But the kid next to him? The kid next to him is definitely freaking out.

Not that he isn’t in good company. A lot of passengers are, despite flight attendants who are trying to keep everyone calm and give safety instructions. The voice over the loudspeaker from the cockpit assures everyone there is no cause for alarm.

But yeah, the turbulence really does feel that bad.

Len does something he doesn’t usually do for the cute guy next to him, though, who seems close to a panic attack what with the way he’s almost hyperventilating. He reaches over and takes the younger man’s hand, laces their fingers together and gives a squeeze.

“It’s fine. It’ll be okay. We’re okay. It’s just turbulence,” Len says once he catches the kid’s eye and makes him hold eye contact.

The kid squeezes his hand in return, far harder than Len would’ve thought possible but he’s sure part of it is adrenaline.

“That’s just what they say in all the movies before the plane crashes,” the young man replies and Len squeezes his hand tighter.

“This ain’t a movie, kid. Planes are safer in real life than in the movies,” Len assures, having to talk loudly over all of the commotion and panicked voices.

“Oh God, what if this is like Lost and we’re already dead??”

“That’s not a thing. Come on, stop thinking about all the terrible TV shows you’ve seen. Hey, look at me,” Len says when the guy looks toward the window.

“How do you know that’s not a thing? It could be a thing. Nobody knows if that’s a thing or not,” the younger man’s voice was a little higher than it had been a second ago.

Len reached over with his free hand and shut the window visor so he couldn’t look out of it anymore.

“If that’s a thing then how did people get to Purgatory before airplanes were a thing?”

“I don’t think that’s–”

“I know, but that’s what they were tricked into thinking, right?” Len just wanted to distract him, make him focus on something other than the turbulence and people whimpering and repeatedly asking what was going on even though they’d been answered multiple times.

All the adults freaking out was causing a few kids cry.

“I dunno…whatever the most prevalent mode of transportation was in the era? Whatever was familiar,” the kid tried to reason and Len took it as a victory because if the kid was trying to reason then he was trying to focus his thinking.

“Grouped travel wasn’t always a thing, Red,” he didn’t know this guy’s name but he was wearing a red shirt that really worked for him. Brought out the green in his hazel eyes.

“I’m…pretty sure it was,” Barry said, giving Len a skeptical look. Not like he wasn’t sure of his own answer, but more like he wasn’t sure anymore if Len actually had two functioning brain cells.

“Well, either way, we’re not in a TV show,”

“Could be something like The Twilight Zone, though,”

“I’m not even gonna dignify that with an answer,”

“What’s wrong with The Twilight Zone?”

“The classic version? Nothing. But, like I said, we’re not in a TV show. This is reality. And in reality, we’re gonna be just fine,” Len squeezed the guy’s hand again, glad to notice that the plane was starting to fly a little more smoothly.

That was the longest bit of turbulence he’d ever experienced on a plane. But, it was still just turbulence.

The voice on the loudspeaker said the plane was being diverted, which didn’t actually surprise Len. There were apparently storms ahead which was what accounted for their experience just now.

“Barry,” the kid said, looking over at him and at first Len was confused because he was pretty sure they weren’t talking about fruit just now.

Although, with a mouth like that Len wouldn’t mind watching the kid eat strawberries. Maybe some chocolate-covered ones. He could think of a few things involving cherries, too.

Look, other people coped their way and Len coped his way, alright?

“My name,” the kid, Barry apparently, blushed and it was the sweetest thing Len had ever seen.

“Oh. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Barry. I’m Leonard. I’d shake your hand, but…” Len gave their linked hands another squeeze.

Barry smiled and Len wondered if maybe they wouldn’t need to divert the plane because that smile had to be powered by pure sunshine.

“Thanks…for helping me calm down. Sorry I freaked out like that,” Barry said, starting to pull his hand away but Len gave it another squeeze to prevent him from doing that.

“No need. You weren’t the only one, and besides…it’s not often I get the opportunity to come to the rescue of such an adorable stranger,” Len smirked as he watched the kid flush a darker rose color and those pretty eyes widened as he looked at Len.

“I-I…wow…” Barry looked genuinely equal parts flattered and surprised.

“You know….I just had a thought,” Len said, really hoping he wasn’t pushing it with this but…well sometimes inappropriate humor after a bad experience could be helpful in its own way.

“What?” Barry asked, raising both eyebrows.

Len liked the shape of those eyebrows.

“If the plane had gone down, they would have found us holding hands. Maybe there’d have even been headlines about the mystery sweethearts found with their hands linked even in death,” Len let his voice pitch down a little further, let his tone go a little quiet so that it was just Barry who would hear him.

Len was pretty sure all of the blood in Barry’s body had just suddenly rushed into the kid’s face. And…look at that, down his neck too. He wondered if it went even further.

“You did not just…”

“Too soon?” Len asked, innocently, tone back to normal and he raised his eyebrows as well.

The kid just stared at him for a moment before huffing out a shocked laugh and then grinning again, “yes! I think five minutes is too soon!”

“Three minutes and 42.5 seconds, actually,” Len replied.

“I…are you serious? Listen, I don’t know how you know that but that definitely doesn’t help your case,” Barry said, smile playful to match his tone.

“Well…they’re diverting the plane. It shouldn’t take us too much longer to get to the new destination. Once we do, there’ll probably be a wait time until we leave again. What do you say about getting to know each other a little better while we wait, Barry?” Len made sure that his tongue caressed the name the way he was hoping it would be caressing something else later.

That blush, which had just been starting to fade, was back with a vengeance. Len thought he could get used to seeing that. He definitely wasn’t going to let this guy get away from him after all of this without at least exchanging numbers.

“I…you know what, yeah. Yeah, I’d like that,” Barry said that with the tone of a man who clearly didn’t do things like this often but was willing to make an exception.

Len would definitely make sure he didn’t regret it.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually wrote this JUST so that Len could make the hand-holding corpses joke...


End file.
